Hermitage Plantation Hotel (St John Parish, St. Kitts and Nevis)

A 250-year old great house, with its authentic 18th-Century furnishings, and the surrounding acres dotted with restored colonial cottages, now serve as guest quarters. Each comes with a four-poster bed and a full range of comforts. The mountainside pool, tennis court and stables fulfill the needs of most active-minded guests, but sailing, scuba and a host of other activities can be easily arranged. Surrounded by lush rain forests, with golden beaches nearby, the Hermitage is the place where they found the colours for the crayons of your childhood. Every evening guests and island friends congregate in the living room for drinks and friendly conversation. After-dinner activities often stretch late into the night as the wines become sweeter and the stories often more captivating.